The Spider's Mark
by Suekeiichi Kaiton
Summary: A Ranma / Inu-Yasha fusion. While wandering in the forests of China, Ranma kills a strange crow. A crow with three eyes and glowing green blood. Rated 'R' for violence and adult situations.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this! It all belongs to Takahashi-sama!

"xxxxx" =Japanese

xxxxx =Chinese

[xxxxx] =Thoughts

---

"West was a materialist, believing in no soul and attributing all the workings of consciousness to bodily phenomena; consequently he looked for no revelation of hideous secrets from gulfs and caverns beyond death's barrier. I did not wholly disagree with him theoretically, yet held vague instinctive remnants of the primitive faith of my forefathers; so that I could not help eyeing the corpse with a certain amount of awe and terrible expectation."

(H.P. Lovecraft, 1922. Herbert West-Reanimator.)

---Japan, Nerima Ward---

Kagome hefted her pack from the Bone-Eater's Well, accompanied by Shippo, the changeling fox, and the demon/human half-breed Inu-Yasha. Miroku chose to stay behind and guard the village lest the lady Kikyo attempt anything. The cavern was illuminated by the iridescent green glow of the Shikon jewel shards suspended around her neck. The search did not go well, as the demons occupying Japanese lands during their time had little to do with Naraku, the vengeful demon collecting the shards as well. As her supplies of shampoo, soap, and schoolwork dwindled, she thought it best to take a break from the hunt; even as Inu-Yasha complained they were staying from their quest.

Her grandfather, the eccentric if kind-hearted caretaker of the shrine, was busy sweeping the courtyard of errant sakura blossoms as spring had descended upon the usually peaceful suburb. Napping under the warming rays of sunshine, the family cat lay huddled in the centre. Her younger brother had run off with the changeling fox to play, leaving Kagome and Inu-Yasha alone on a gentle hill.

"Do you think we'll ever find the rest of the Shikon shards? They could be anywhere!" Kagome sighed then lay back against the cool grass. "Maybe we should look for Shikon carriers in my time then track then down in yours." Her ideas tended to lack the crucial element of thought.

"Maybebut I think we can take a vacation nowI mean the shards aren't gonna just disappear are they?" Inu-Yasha swung from his legs wrapped over a branch, his arms were folded in a serious pose, completely refuted by his ridiculous position. "It's almost time for my human blood to become dominant, I'd rather not worry about anything when that happens."

"That's a good idea! And I can get all caught-up on my schoolwork!" She ran back into the house to call her friends, lord only knew what kind of silly excuses her grandfather had come up with. Inu-Yasha, feeling mightily put off by her departure followed at a more sedate pace.

---Title---

The Spider's Mark

A Ranma 1/2-Inu-Yasha fusion

By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton

---China, Bayankala Range---

He had done it. Finally he had duped the goddamn panda of a father he had and ran into the woods. Confident he could take care of all the basic necessities, he removed a bamboo flask of Jusenkyo water concealed within his thermos. The water was from an unmarked spring, and, through a burst of logical thought, would aid him greatly in hunting for his dinner. 

It was dusk and the last vestiges of sunlight streamed through the jungle between the staggered peaks of Mount Phoenix in the sky. The only sign of his presence in the forest was the single fire he had constructed from dry deadwood; a tin pot of water simmered upon it's crackling surface. His prey was strong he could sense it. After setting camp he had begun the singularly easy task of catching dinner when he saw an enormous bird fly overhead. Through some atavistic urge to hunt one that is stronger than oneself he was determined to eat the animal for dinner.

Now he had cornered the bird, a gigantic black crow with three-eyes that seemed to speak Japanese in hushed tones under the beating of it's wings. The massive avian creature easily had a wingspan of six feet. Before his astonished eyes the bird landed in a clearing to eat the mutton grasped in its beak, the gangrenous flesh cast in a sickening green pallor. His quarry unbalanced and resting, Ranma threw a sizable amount of spring water over its head, resulting in an impish squirrel with carmine eyes chittering in impotent fury. With a deft slice of his knife it was over. He didn't notice that the creature's mouth opened and closed reflexively before succumbing to expiration.

He made his trail back to camp, his victim hanging from a hook on his belt. The water was heated now as he doused the corpse and returned it to its true shape. Mystified by the sheer size of his catch, Ranma began to gut it. Serrated teeth drew through tough hide like so many wet noodles, stinking piles of steaming ichor, blood and bile spilled forth into the adjacent river. Partially digested matter soon gave way to the being's latest meal, to his horror; Ranma spied a white cylinder terminating in the thin digits of a tiny hand float downstream. Suppressing the bile that rose in his throat, Ranma cast a weary glance at the thick hide. [The thing was a man-eater! At least I did a little good killing it] Ranma cleaned the wounds with fresh stream water, plucked the feathers (which were seemingly made of silver, he put those in his bag for future use) and lay it upon the glowing spit to roast. [It's not like a mutant bird is any weirder than being cursed to become a girl, is it?]

Seemingly hours passed but the meat refused to cook, the skin would brown but the muscle underneath remained a healthy pink. Finally, his hunger could not wait to be satiated and he bit into the bleeding flesh. [I like my meat rare anyway. ] When finished, Ranma did not notice the eerie luminosity the puddles of blood gave off, as flecks of pure mystical power coursed through his veins, nor did he notice the bizarre burn mark on the creatures back, burned into the flesh, resembling an enormous spider. If one were lurking in the fens and dark bowers of the jungle that night, Ranma Saotome would have been glowing brightly with an indistinct green pallor.

---Two days later---

"Ranma! Ranma! C'mere boy!" Genma Saotome stopped his hollering when a group of Amazon tribeswomen cut through the lush undergrowth and leveled their spears and icy glares at the portly martial artist. Studying in turn first the spears then the look of hatred from their eyes, Genma Saotome took off for the hills, not caring in the least for the general well being of his son. Little did he know

---Joketsuzoku Amazon Village---

Out of the shadows permeating the building a figure emerged, seemingly birthed from the endless pools of darkness. The man was dressed in a black cloak that obscured all features. Is he away? He asked the custodian of the village, Mascara. They were soon seated at a heavily ornamented table with wine and food, that is to say she sat while he seemed to drift off the floor, maintaining a seated position. The building was in the centre of the village, one of several dotting the sparsely populated region. The rustic charm of their warriors' way was not lost on the dark stranger, who found their fighting spirit and way of lifequaint.

Yes. The huntresses frightened him off, he won't soon return. The custodian was in fact barely thirty, an appointed tiebreaker to the council of elders. She merely won the village championship and was thereby nominated the enforcer of the tribe. Now, she asked, fidgeting with the gold clasp to her dress, will you keep yourend of the bargain? She glanced nervously at the stranger robed in black. He pointed to the windows and grotesque wasps with human eyes darted from sill to sill closing the open ventilation. As the mutated wasps disappeared back inside his cloak he gestured with three fingers upraised. Cloth that had previously garbed the champion melted like butter and slid off her form, tracing the full lines of her hips and chest.

Of course. No one heard their cries.

---Two months later, Nieuchiezu Amazon Village---

The streets were limned with people working to beautify the huts and cottages dotting the land. The Town Square itself was a bustling hub of activity, the village was once again preparing for the contest of champions. The elders were in their own council building preparing the opening ceremony.

Honored matriarch Cologne, you will oversee the preparation of the contestants in the challenge field, they must be well dressed and well fed before the tournament. A wizened face lifted out of the darkness, it was apparently a woman, although some would protest it more closely resembled a shrunken monkey. She was Cologne, one of the oldest women on Earth and in the village. A grandmaster of Amazon Whu-Shu, she knew secret techniques developed over two thousand years of Chinese Amazon history.

I will do this honored matriarch Perfume. She sneaked a nervous glance at her great-grandniece, Mascara, who seemed preoccupied. Is anything the matter child? She had startled her as Mascara's eyes refocused on her ancestor.

N-no honored elder, I was just thinking how Shan-Pu will do in this tournament. 

'How Shan-Pu will do?' Hah! You're thinking about the child you conceived with that strange man in your village! Perfume gently teased. I heard you didn't hold a village meeting for weeks.

Is this true child? Can it be so? Cologne hugged her niece with tears in her aged eyes. Where is he? I hope he is strong! She made way towards the door.

Wait! I must tell you something first. She lowered her head. Although he defeated me in combat he would not become my husband, he is so powerful I cannot bar him from leaving, I do not believe many of you could keep him here. She glared at the elders that scoffed at her weakness. We agreed that I would drive away one of his pursuers if he would stay and give me a strong child. He is very strong! His child will be a great asset to the tribe. It will be a girl, he has told me so! Is that not proof of his strength? She pleaded on her knees. He told me he had urgent business in Japan, but would return in a year. Please honored elder; do not judge him so harshly! 

And the fact that he's handsome doesn't enter into it? Hmm? When no reply reached her ears, Cologne went forth to find this man.

---The Challenge Field---

Cologne soon found her quarry hidden amongst the tall stalks of bamboo near the challenge field. She greeted her great-granddaughter Shan-Pu, who was practicing, then moved onto the subject of her quest; the stranger dressed in black. She saw a brief movement in the reeds and circumvented his line of sight, moving onto him from behind. The sun shone brightly on the gleaming gold and steel of the girl's weapons, their acrobatic movements reflecting the rays of sunlight blinding her momentarily. In that flash she saw him.

He was garbed in the white fur of a demon monkey, the hollowed out skull atop his head as a cap. Black hair woven like silk cascaded down with the white fur, he was easily recognizable. Before her astonished eyes a giant demon wasp descended from the heavens and hovered just above his head as if in conversation. Upon closer inspection the wasp's eyes were not the typical compound eyes found in normal insects but rather mammalian eyes with black pupils. She cleared her throat as it departed and was face to face with Mascara's mysterious lover. He seemed unperturbed by her appearance, casually leaning against a tree.

I have heard much about you from Mascara. Is it true you control the demons? She balanced on her staff as he settled into a crouching position by the stalks of bamboo. She could make out a smug smile underneath the monkey skullcap. Something about this man sent her flesh crawling. There was something amiss

"Yes. I do control certain demons, although I wasn't able to before. This body seems to have no experience with magic so I had to train a little; my mana doesn't flow as strongly now." He began to glow with that same eerie green pallor. "There was a time when all of the shadows knew my name, respected my title. Now I am merely a superstition, something mothers tell their children as a reason to beware of forests." He leveled his eyes and met her gaze. "I see you have learned to control the flow of ki within your paltry shell, but look at me. I will never age, and you believe you can contain me in this village? I can see the shifting in your aura, you plan on trapping me."

"As you speak Japanese I think it best if we converse in it." Underneath her cool exterior Cologne was worried, how could the stranger have known she was thinking of keeping him here? "I take it you will not stay? By the laws of our tribe you _must_ stay and raise the child you have sired with my niece."

"Feh. I have matters to attend to in Japan now. I might return in a few hundred years though. I see you have a personal stake in this matter." He grinned under the monkey guise, sharpened teeth grazing his lower lip. "That makes this all the moreinteresting."

[I guess I know where Mascara got the bite marks on her inner thighs. ] "Are you a demon yourself? An evil creature sent to torment us?" She decided to be blunt, there was no time for pleasantries. There was magic in the air, a hint of shadow.

"A demon? Hmmmaybe. As for being evil? I once wasbut am no longer." He seemed a bit nostalgic at the memories of crushing whole tribes in his grasp, of the feeling of power as he siphoned the life out of human warriors. "This is not evil any longer. I seem to have mellowed out in my later years. My host seems to have been one of the good guys' he cancelled my moreanti-social mannerisms." He chuckled a bit at that.

She was worried now. This man was trouble, he emitted an aura of overwhelming power, so powerful she believed that Saffron of Phoenix Mountain would have trouble defeating such a foe. "Tell me young one-"

"I'm not young. I'm older than you are." His gaze hardened.

"Alright then, tell me stranger, who are you?"

The creature leaned against a tree and threw off the monkey pelt. "You may call me Naraku."

---Japan, Nerima Ward. Two months later---

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome looked up from her textbook to the window. She could've sworn something hit it. At that very moment a small pebble bounced off the glass, spilling back over the clay shingled porch roof. Sighing in exasperation, she opened the window to see Inu-Yasha motioning for her to come down. Something was up.

Rushing out the door in a sleeve-less shirt and shorts, Kagome met him in the courtyard of the shrine. Just at a glance she could tell something was wrong, there was an odd distance to him as he stood, like he was seeing some far off land. "Well what is it? You asked me down here."

"Something's coming. I can smell it in the air." He sniffed at the air, detecting a faint scent, one that promised them no end of trouble. The new moon would appear tonight, suppressing his demon blood; for all intents and purposes he would be human that night. Because of the cycle of blood in his veins, his senses grew more acute just before dusk on the day of the new moon but were smothered when the transformation took place.

"Do you know what it is?" He shook his head. "Well how can we prepare for it then?" She was getting agitated.

"I'm going back through the well, I'll get Miroku to come back with me. I'll also ask the old woman for some demon wards." He turned to the well. "I'll be back before sundown, don't worry." He stalked off for parts unknown. Despite his assurances, Kagome still had reservations. The sun was still nearing its apex when he left; he had seven hours before sundown. She just prayed he'd be back in time.

---Same Time, Tendo Dojo---

Genma Saotome felt guilty. It was a wholly new experience; very rarely did his conscience rear its ugly head from the bundle of vices and greed composing what remained of his morals. He had arrived at the Tendo Dojo just that morning after fleeing China. It was good to play a few games of shogi with his old friend but those days seemed numbered now. The Tendo Family surrounded him with questions, most pertaining to the whereabouts of his son. Due to the honor pact between the schools Ranma had to marry one of the Tendo daughters. It was his meal ticket to easy living for the rest of his days! How dare the boy run off and abandon his helpless father to the brutal mercies of the Amazons!

"Saotome I thought you were coming with your son, Ranma. Where is he? I'm anxious to meet the boy!" Soun laughed and slapped his friend on the back. As sweat poured off the stout martial artist Tendo grew impatient, finally breaching the subject directly. "Where is your son?"

"Oh Tendo, it is a tale of woe! My son is dead!" Genma burst into tears, weeping pathetically on the floor. Nabiki's keen eyes saw through the ploy and came to the conclusion he was lying, one learned things in her line of work. She resolved to discredit anything he said, a fat, deceitful person was bound to slip up eventually and when that happened she would leech him for everything he was worth. Crocodile tears poured onto the floor.

"Oh Saotome! Such loss, such hardship!" Soun broke down in tears soon thereafter, not that isolated an occurrence lately. "How did it happen?"

"My ungrateful son deceived his loving father and ran off into the forests of China. I searched for months until I found he waswas ferociously mauled by lions!" It still didn't cut it with Nabiki.

"Oh yeah! One of those famous Chinese lions!" She glared at her family for being so goddamn gullible. Akane was even stricken by the false tale of woe. For Akane to care for the life of a _boy_ was just too unbelievable. "He's lying I tell you!"

"I'm not!" Genma stood up with an angry glint in his eye then realized he was supposed to be crying and resumed the charade. "It was a tiger not a lion, I'm so sorry Tendo, now the lines will never be joined!" Again he sought to change the subject, an easy thing to do when dealing with an overemotional Soun Tendo.

"Now Nabiki! You know it's not nice to tease someone whose just lost a son!" Kasumi verbally berated her younger sister, even while harboring doubt to the credibility of the story herself. It was not that she distrusted Mr. Saotome (that was part of it as well) but the idea of someone being eaten by a Chinese Tiger just seemed sofarfetched. If the story sounded farfetched to the naïve Kasumi, it should have been an outright lie to the rest of those present.

"Thank you Kasumi dear, I just felt so helpless when I saw Ranma's bear eaten clothes!" Genma and Soun held each other crying, the plan was going well Genma thought, just a few more gruesome details of his son's death' and they would feel so bad he could stay for a while, have a home cooked meal for once.

"Don't you mean tiger eaten?' You said bear eaten." Nabiki supported her head in her hands, apparently bored with his lies. She had caught her fish, hook, line, and sinker.

"-Tiger eaten pack!"

"You mean tiger eaten clothes don't you?"

"-Clothes!" Genma covered again without missing a beat. By now Kasumi and Akane had begun to believe that the man was lying outright to them. Akane planned on beating the stuffing out of the lair while Kasumi planned on giving him a smaller portion at dinner. He just couldn't seem to keep his facts straight. Soun cried on however.

"My friend, the path of a true martial artist is fraught with much peril, but why does it have to be so hard on us!" Soun broke down again and consequently was the only one still weeping at that point.

"Mr. Saotome?"

"Yes Akane dear?"

"You and father mentioned something about joining the schools? What does that mean?" Sweat dribbled down the rotund man's back. Kasumi noticed how deathly pale he had become, she wondered if she should make some tea for the lying cheat.

"Uhn-nothing Akane it's just that-"

"Saotome! Now our families will never be joined in holy matrimony!" Soun broke in, dashing Genma's plans to deceive his girls. He was tugging ineffectually at the fat man's gi.

"Tendo don't!"

"WHAT!!!!!" The trio of Tendo girls chorused.

---Early morning, an atoll two miles off the West Coast of Japan---

Kima gazed at the black-cloaked man across from her, his eyes glittering with floating pinpricks of green light. These pulses of energy seemed to flow through his body, enabling him to perform the wondrous feats of magic that bestowed upon him King Saffron's friendship and protection. She herself wished for more time alone with the man, she ached to once again experience the physical act of love. Images of far off places and times assaulted her memory, thoughts of the day he arrived.

---Mount Phoenix, two months ago---

"Go forth into battle! Raise your weapons and spirits high for I will be joining you in this holy quest!" The roars of appreciation and tears of gratitude from his soldiers did nothing for Saffron, he wasn't going in to destroy measly troops, he wanted Herb all to himself. After all, was he not the Phoenix God of the Mountain? Was he not immortal? Did Herb stand a chance? Saffron grin a malicious grin thinking about throwing Herb's decapitated head and entrails to his advisors of the Musk. Once Herb was eliminated, the threat from the Musk would be nonexistent. He thought it was going to be easy. "Go forth and crush the heathen Musk for this effrontery!"

Kima flew on his right, Divus flew to his left; the two most powerful guards in the mountain were assigned as protection against the human weapons the Musk may possess. As seneschal it was her duty to care for her Lord's welfare and to keep him out of harms way, unfortunately, Saffron had personally ordered her to make sure he and Herb were not disturbed during the battle. The forests rolled past them in an unending wave of battle and carnage, the warriors of the Phoenix tribe fighting valiantly against the overwhelming numbers of the Musk. In terms of strength, the Musk had the advantage but the Phoenix had far longer reach and maneuverability.

Herb oversaw the battle from a cliff overlooking the valley. Stride atop his black steed, his virgin sister-princess of the Musk, ambled beside him. They waited on the cliff until the barest vestiges of Saffron's aura were visible on the horizon, staining the sky crimson. Ordering his guards to accompany the princess back to the citadel, and Mint and Lime not to interfere, he stepped down to do battle.

The battle itself was unseen, the light discharged from explosive ki blasts blinding those unfortunate to turn their way, and killing those that gazed upon it. While Saffron had unlimited amounts of it, Herb possessed more skill and technique with ki, making the odds about even. Herb showed no signs of tiring as the battle raged for thirty minutes, in fact he was laughing at Saffron's lack of imagination in regards to his attack. As the two monsters fought, Kima and Divus faced off against Lime and Mint. Things did not look sunny for the Phoenix, their king was being beaten, their strongest warriors were being decimated, and their ranks were broke.

Kima was pinned between the edge of Sharptooth cliff and Lime's sword, her right wing broken and twisted behind her back, one of her legs snapped in two placed by a leg swipe. Divus lay unconscious at Mint's feet as the hulking brute savagely kicked his fragile ribs until all that remained was a pulpy mass of bleeding muscle and gleaming white bone. Lime began to leer as he tore off her tunic and prepared to rape her before all the phoenix below them, Saffron was still in a stalemate, there was no one to help. The Musk warriors were akin to an unstoppable tide, washing the phoenix back towards the mountain, several others gathered to watch Lime defile the beautiful Valkyrie. She could smell his stale breath on her face.

---At the base of Mount Phoenix---

Lord Zentaro Choiler of the Phoenix rallied the troops against the Musk on the land, his wings no longer able to keep him aloft for extended periods. The warriors were missing limbs and bleeding profusely as they were given cursory medical care in the camp. He had to hand it to their lord, he knew how to rile the men into blind loyalty, as soon as the pain faded the wounded would steal a knife or sword from a guard and run off to the fight again. Shielding his eyes from the newest pyrotechnics emanating from Saffron's battle with the dragon prince Herb, he tended to strategy. They were lost, they could not hope to organize another offensive, they could only limit the land taken and pray the Musk didn't make it to the mount.

Yojo, one of the many doctors on hand for the battle covered the body of Lady Merac of the House of Saffron. One of the many victims when the Musk threw grenades from the overlooking cliffs. Shaking his head he prayed for a miracle. Just as the word escaped his lips a scout appeared at his side.

"I hope," he remarked with a smile, "that you bring me good news." The soldier looked grim, his jaw set in fear.

"I'm afraid not sir. The joketsuzoku and nieuchiezu are moving against us. They expect to defeat us easily after the Musk kicked us around a bit. Advanced teams of amazons are already within walking distance, the river and forest units have already fallen."

Choiler sighed. These were not decisions for him to make! Saffron should be here to order the troops. "Ghode? Send word to the front line, tell them to use the advanced techniques. We cannot afford a double sided battle." The soldier clashed the gold carapaces on his wings and took off for the front.

"You look like hell Zentaro," Yojo appeared from the medical tent. "What's the situation now?"

"Amazons in the back, Musk in the front. We cannot hope to win this."

"Where are Lady Kima and Lord Divus? They accompanied lord Saffron did they not?" Yojo scanned the area for any signs of the ill-fated pair. Shock and horror warred for dominance upon his face as he saw Lime tearing the clothes off Kima's back. "Choiler look! Isn't that Kima there?"

Choiler gazed in horror as Lime came down on the lieutenant, a gaggle of maniacal Musk cheering him on. "Kima!"

Then the world exploded.

---Sharptooth cliffs, above the battle ground---

Saffron gave one final burst of energy, razing the countryside under him, extinguishing all life in a twenty-meter radius. Herb laughed as the Phoenix king fell, clutching at his tiara, symbol of his authority. The ki blast turned to fire and scorched Herb's armor but still caused no lasting damage. The light was seen as far as Taiwan, a brilliant hemisphere of purifying light dispersing into the sky. At this junction in the battle the Phoenix fought with renewed vigor, unleashing sealed techniques that pushed back the Musk lines several hundred feet. Vacuum blades sliced neatly through armor and flesh, ki blasts obliterated their targets all in memory of the Phoenix king who gave his life fighting alongside his troops. To the Tribe this was the ultimate show of loyalty, the ultimate gift that could ever be given. It would not be wasted.

---Phoenix border, amazon encampment---

Cologne gazed at the ki explosion with wide eyes, never had she seen such a magnificent use of one's battle aura, Saffron's ultimate attack, used only once in his thousand years existence. The Phoenix Fire Suicide. It was a blast that utilized all remaining reserves of ki in his body, expelling them continuously until a firestorm was formed in the sphere. The attack would then kill Saffron, reverting him to a newborn. Perfume was impressed as well, but also quite joyful. If the Phoenix were not lead by Saffron they would surely fall at the hands of the amazons. Then they could deal with that upstart Herb

Mascara watched in fright as the ball dispersed, remembering the legends of Saffron's suicide blast. She hoped that her lover was far away, safe so that he could return one day.

---Sharptooth cliffs, ground zero---

Lime was all but tearing his clothes off in anticipation of taking Kima. She fought as well as she could until Saffron's blast took him by surprise, searing the flesh of his back. He tripped and fell back, screaming over the sound of crackling flesh. The Musk horde that had egged him on so was just a pile of ashes blowing in the wind, wind blown by Herb as he landed on the cliffs. It seemed bleak, there would be no escape this time. She was crippled and defeated, the spark had left her shell, leaving only a frightened creature behind. Saffron appeared on the ground as an infant, his cries drawing Herb's attention from her broken form. With a devilish glee, he powered a ki ball to incinerate his hated foe, he didn't care if Saffron was immortal, he'd enjoy killing him over and over and over. The ball left his hand, the blue of his fire casting ominous shadows in the forests. The ball sailed forward in a collision course with the infant Saffron. Then a miracle occurred.

One of the shadows in the forest was no shadow at all. With a resounding slash and explosion, Herb's ki was blown towards the sky, missing the Phoenix king completely.

"Shouldn't you be treating your elders with more respect?" A figure garbed in demonic monkey skins dropped down behind Herb, seemingly from thin air. His smirk was visible from under the skullcap. Herb was enraged. His aura sprang to life around him.

"How _dare_ you interfere with our duel! You may be a stranger but that won't stop me from breaking every bone in your body into toothpicks!" He shot a fireball. The ball sped into the stranger's line of defense, just as the man caught it in one hand and tossed it into the sky, creating yet another brilliant flash of light. Kima saw the man as a savior, someone who could restore the honor of Saffron's power. "How?"

"Anyone can do that." Naraku smirked again and spread his arms wide, the open sleeves of his robe sending plumes of black demon wasps into the air. Clutching the hive ball, he called upon his aura of evil. However, since joining with Ranma he could not summon his evil forces, merely Ranma's own aura, greatly augmented. "Attack!!" The wasps looked at him, then at the warriors in the valley below. Through some kind of telepathic command, the swarm descended upon the unsuspecting Musk.

---The base of Mount Phoenix---

"Lord Choiler! The Musk are being driven back!" Ghode flew down to inform Choiler of the news. "Demonic wasps are attacking the Musk, they've been routed through the forest, a few units are still fighting though."

Choiler was astonished. A whole army of Musk driven back? Was it possible? "What of Lord Saffron or Lady Kima? Where are they?" Yojo walked in back and supported the aged librarian of Phoenix Mountain. The troops were crying out in victory all across the valley, their cries buoying the spirits of those scarred or maimed in the name of Saffron.

"They both are still on the Sharptooth cliffs. Herb has them pinned."

---Sharptooth cliffs---

"How do you do such things stranger? Are you a demon?" Herb was impressed and also a little frightened by the man's powers. A demon wasp flew in to sting the dragon prince but was burned to a cinder as it entered the enraged king's aura of fire. Herb trembled slightly, too afraid of the stranger to attack. Naraku had casually flicked his more powerful blasts away like annoying mosquitoes, who knew what powers he may still hold?

"A demon? I think I was once, but am no longer. You, however, are a dragon are you not? I thought all the dragons went extinct hundreds of years ago." Naraku sensed the prince's sister approaching the battle site. A perfect hostage.

"How do you know of my lineage? Tell me!" Herb conjured his battle aura closer, more concentrated, a fiery cloak that draped over his body.

"I know many things, and have seen even more. Do not trifle with me boy, you're only a few thousand years too early to fight me. Not to mention the wrong species." Naraku motioned with four fingers upraised towards the broken form of Kima. Her body was pushed by the wind off the cliff to land safely near the Phoenix encampment. She would only tell them of a powerful mage that defeated Herb. "Feh! Your sister approaches, do you want me to take her life? I have no qualms."

"You'll keep your filthy hands off my family demon! If I defeated the king of Phoenix Mountain, the immortal Saffron, I can deal with you!" Through the proud bravado though Herb was petrified, the entire Musk army defeated by the enchantments of one man. He shuddered involuntarily.

"Can you really?" Naraku called forth his searing aura and sent it across the cliff to envelop Herb. The gooey power binded Herb's arms and feet, as it's acidic properties made him scream in pain. His eyes flared and a powerful shock wave of ki blasted away the burning shackles. "Interestingvery interesting. You have great power, but can you face this?" 

He drew away the monkey skin, revealing his silky black hair down to the ground, and his bared fangs. Naraku stood now dressed in a flowing priest's robes, stained with black and red designs which glowed with his evil powers. Raring his head back in an inhuman howl fangs extend out heightening the appearance, he pulled his arms back in fists then screamed out with the thunderous power of the heavens. "ONIGUMO DEMONIC HELLFIRE!!!!!!!" Out of the ground came a blinding red haze that surrounded and penetrated Naraku, who drew more and more power towards himself until he thrust his hands forward, a sonic boom accompanying his motions. A concentrated blast of unholy energy shot from his chest, easily the width of Lime's waist, blowing Herb away crashing _through_ the mountain behind him and back into Musk territory.

Naraku wrapped himself back in his monkey furs, his identity hidden well enoughfor now.

---Phoenix border, amazon encampment---

A startling, deafening roar echoed off the mountainsides surrounding them. Several amazon warrior's ears burst, spewing blood all the while screaming in pain. Mascara, Cologne and Perfume had been in the tent planning the assault and as such were not crippled by the roar. Bubbles and Brush ran in, pulling the matriarchs outside where the tribe was in chaos, the wounded and dying cries filling the air. It was not the chaos that drew them out, however, it was the sight of a black/purple ki wave looming overhead! They took cover near the mountains as wave after wave of ki flame slashed through the air overhead. In all the years of Chinese Amazon history never had anything like this occurred before.

Mascara heard the sonic boom again, and again, three times total. Cologne and Perfume were unaware that the deafening blasts were the result of Herb hurtling through three mountains. He finally landed, a boneless bloody heap, in the centre of the Musk citadel.

--Japanese atoll, early morning---

Now he was dressed much the same, a black cloak and cowl covering his clothes. What sparse clothing he wore consisted of his priest's garb, his demon monkey skin, and of course the red shirt and black pants Ranma was wearing the day he transformed. If one could see into the mind of Naraku they would find quite a bit of Ranma's personality left intact, although through sheer force of will alone. The stranger was the amalgamation of good and evil, naivete and thousands of years of experience, of demon and human. If Ranma still existed if was only as a conscience of sorts. Naraku wasn't evil anymore, rude, crass, and violent yes, but not evil. In the battle for dominance, he sacrificed his pure dark power for control over Ranma.

The stranger was under Kima's protection on his journey back, although Kima did not really believe he needed an escort. Halfway to Taiwan he had seduced her quite easily, as he found magic casting and sex second only to fighting in terms of enjoyment. Since he hadn't the funds to waste in a sleazy whorehouse on the docks, he felt it was overdue time that he see what the physical differences between the species were.

"It's almost light, you should get going." She didn't want their journey to end, did not want to let go, but she was in thrall to Saffron's will.

"Feh. All in good time Kima dear. All in due time." Their clothes disappeared with a wave of his hand. He grabbed her, pulling her into a passionate embrace, her exposed nipples jutting into his bare chest. "We still have some time to say goodbyemy way." A fishing boat far off the coast swore they heard some kind of bird screaming in pain. Or, in this case, pleasure.

---Japan, Nerima ward. Morning---

Leaves rustled out in the darkness, falling smoothly through the air to land upon the shrine's cobblestone courtyard. Inu-Yasha lay asleep in the shrine keeper's office, his dark hair gradually returning to his customary white mane. With the passing of the new moon the group could resume their search for the Shikon shards. Miroku casually snored propped up against the wall, his void tightly clutching his juzo beads. Naraku slid carefully out of the ceiling, landing soundlessly before Inu-Yasha. His dark eyes found the Tetsusaiga, tucked in the waistband of Inu-Yasha's robe.

"Inu-Yasha," his voice barely a whisper, "you have stood in my way for hundreds of years with your precious Steel Cleaving Fang. I now have a human body and I can now touch the sword myself." After casting a heavy sleep spell over the still human Inu-Yasha, he grabbed the scabbard without so much as a jolt of the mystic energies surrounding it. "Feh. You're not even worth killing, worthless half-breed." He was gone once again, with the sacred sword of Inu-Yasha's father as his prize.

Miroku was the first to wake. Inu-Yasha awoke an hour later to find his priceless weapon gone without a trace. Thanks to his demonic powers he could tell the intruder left his scent, a scent he had not known in a long time. [Naraku you devil! You must've used a Shikon shard to get here. I'll find you I swear it! ] "Kagome! Kagome come quick! I have some bad news!"

Soon enough Kagome appeared dressed in Hello-Kitty pajamas with bloodshot eyes. "What! Do! You! Want! Inu-Yasha! I'm trying to sleep!" She looked about ready to kill and make a nice doggie-fur coat.

"Naraku came during the night and stole the Tetsusaiga! His scent is all over the place. We've gotta find him!" He paid no attention at all to her threats, or her state of dress. "With any luck I can catch his scent and follow him. I'll need your help-" He turned around and saw her pajamas, his eyes bugged out. "What the hell're you wearing!?! We've gotta leave now!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door, into the morning chill that accompanies all spring mornings.

"Inu-Yasha! Stop! I have to get dressed!" He tugged her along for at least three yards before she became so angry she resorted to her final weapon. "INU-YASHA SIT!!" Through the magical enchantment on the beads around his neck, they pulled him down to lie face-first in the cobblestone courtyard. She stood in front of him, huffing and puffing with the effort to cease his struggles. Her chest heaved up and down enticingly to his eye. "I'll get _dressed_ then we can go after him okay?"

He sighed, as if the time she would spend getting properly dressed would slow the chase. "Fine. His scent can't disappear that quickly anyway, he's a demon." He shooed her away. "Naraku you bastard, you're gonna pay for this!"

---To be continued---

I was going to have this be an extremely long oneshot, about 90-100 pages, but because of the responses from my pre-readers it will be a mini-series. A side note to this part is that I'm elongating Inu-Yasha's transformation to human and back, I believe that if he is sleeping his metabolism is slowed, slowing the overall process of his reversion. In the manga he was fighting as the change occurred, I think it was his increased blood flow that caused the transformation to be so fast.

Comments? Criticisms?

Vze2jcwc@verizon.net


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this! It all belongs to Takahashi-sama!

"xxxxx" =Japanese

xxxxx =Chinese

[xxxxx] =Thoughts

---

"West was a materialist, believing in no soul and attributing all the workings of consciousness to bodily phenomena; consequently he looked for no revelation of hideous secrets from gulfs and caverns beyond death's barrier. I did not wholly disagree with him theoretically, yet held vague instinctive remnants of the primitive faith of my forefathers; so that I could not help eyeing the corpse with a certain amount of awe and terrible expectation."

(H.P. Lovecraft, 1922. Herbert West-Reanimator.)

---The Tendo Dojo---

He grinned under the cowl of his cloak, Inu-Yasha would have no inkling he was human now, although without his demonic powers there was very little he could do with the sword. Cursing the struggle with Ranma and his subsequent loss of control, Naraku continued on down the street.

Now there was a sign posted on the sidewalk, just to his left. In the pre-dawn sunlight most people wouldn't have been able to see it, much less read it; but Naraku's eyesight had been augmented by the power of the Shikon shard. The faint pinpricks of green energy floated through his system still, it would take at least another two hundred years before the shard was completely dissolved and assimilated by his cells. The wooden sandwich-board read: "Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts." [Hmmthe school that Ranma Saotome practicedaccording to his memories, the fat bastard said only his family still practiced it. ] This bore looking into.

Little did the demonoid know that the proprietor of the establishment was still sound asleep, his eldest daughter the only one alert and awake at that time. Kasumi Tendo enjoyed her solitude in the mornings, peaceful hours to clean, cook, and think before her sisters awoke and the hysterics of the day began. As she brushed past the foyer to begin breakfast a knock was heard on the dojo gate. Taking a peek outside she saw a figure robed in shadow standing before the gate, his eyes seemingly glowing an ethereal green. Not one to be impolite no matter the time, Kasumi opened the gate door wider.

"May I help you?"

"I've come to inquire about the school."

"You want to take classes?" Kasumi was hocked that anyone would arrive so early just to ask about classes. "Well you will have to ask my father about classes. I'm afraid he is still asleep, you can wait in the house however." She didn't feel any negative or dangerous feelings from him, so she let him enter the house.

"Thank you miss?"

"Kasumi Tendo."

He flipped off his shoes. "Thank you Kasumi." Kneeling before her he kissed her hand, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin. [I can sense this one is ripe, a figure of holy power, a priestess! In this day and age! Ohhh, I'll enjoy bedding her. ] Naraku, formally Ranma Saotome, smirked as he followed her into the tearoom.

"I'll go and prepare us some tea." Her face literally glowed with radiant energy to Naraku's demonic eyes; she turned and left without making a sound. As the feelings of human closeness bore down on him, he thought it best to use Ranma's attitude, as his own was so seductive he wanted to take his time wearing down Kasumi's defenses. That would make the final conquest so much sweeter. Perhaps he _was_ mellowing out in his old age.

When Kasumi returned with a tray laden with fragrant oolong tea and rice crackers, he opted for his congenial nature to win over the approval of this mortal. As her soft voice trilled off her tongue, as she laughed, he felt the barest stirrings of something he dismissed as base desires, love. As the suspicion loomed over him, he felt an irrational fear overtake him. [Am I becoming like that worthless half-breed Inu-Yasha by absorbing that mortal? What have I become? ] Keeping the fears to himself, he decided to judge whether this was a good thing or bad. It seemed more of Ranma spilled over into him than he thought, although perhaps this was not the great tragedy he was making it out be, but he still saw fit to limit the damage.

Upstairs slept the other three Tendos, undisturbed by the rays of sunshine streaming under their thick drapes. At that time and place only one member of the house was up and about, a certain fat, lying bastard, Genma Saotome. The portly, gluttonous creature plodded down the stairs, hoping to sneak a morning snack when he saw a stranger's shadow cast against the walls by the sun's rays.

Naraku was quite pleased to gaze at the sun, just cresting over the taller office buildings downtown. The harsh UV rays of sunlight are corrosive to demonic cells, pure demon tissue with no Shikon energy that is, yet another simple pleasure denied his kind. Use of cloaks or skins draped over the body would reduce the burning from continuous exposure. Inside his cranial cavities, something stirred, something that once held say in the inner workings of that mind. [I suppose you've seen many such sunrises before, haven't you Ranma? Well now it's my turn. ] He felt a psychic blow bash against his mental restraints. [Now, now, Ranma. You gave me control of your own free will, you wanted revenge, and to live life to it's fullest! I've given you that, and power beyond your wildest dreams! ] The blows ceased, Ranma's consciousness dissipating like early morning fog. [The merging will take a few weeks, after that you won't even know the difference between us then. ] He smiled as Ranma slicked off to the farthest recesses of his mind, accepting his fate. Reigning his aura in, the glowing waves of heat contracted, fading into a halo of power, not the acidic goo of his demonic powers. The sun seemed to slow passing through, casting a distorted shadow across the floor as if the ground itself were burning.

"Genma. Genma Saotome." The stranger spat out the name like some hideous taste in his mouth. "You worthless sack of flesh." He made one dismissive sweep of his clawed hand and the elder Saotome fell to the floor in five thick slices, his blood pooling rapidly on the polished wood. Kasumi's hum and soft footfalls aroused him, the matronly aura surrounding her enticing him even more. As she opened the rice-paper door, he swept a hand over the pile of bleeding meat upon the floor, Genma Saotome arose from the muck whole and unharmed. The pain lingered on however.

"I just made some delicious cookies, you'll have to wait until they cool thoughoh! Mr. Saotome1 I didn't know you would be awake, would you like to sit and have some tea?" Kasumi set the tray down on the table, Naraku's eyes flashed a crimson glow, Genma believed that cowardice was the better part of valor and ran screaming out of the Tendo compound. "Oh my! What's wrong with Mr. Saotome?"

"I wouldn't have a clue."

---Title---

The Spider's Mark Part Two

A Ranma 1/2-Inu-Yasha fusion

By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton 

---Furinkan High School---

Naraku crouched by the third story science lab, his monkey skins adorning his shoulders. Kagome was apparently in animated conversation with her lab partner, he smiled at her youthful exuberance. [Ranma? Are you still there?]

[Yeah, I'm almost halfway assimilated.] Ranma lay still on the edge of his mind. [I think the Kasumi girl's cute, so's her younger sister. What was her name?]

[Nabiki I believe.]

[Yeah! She's one hot chick if you ask me. She'll probably be one hell of a devil in bed, kinda like Kima.] Ranma rarely was given the opportunity to speak so candidly during his previous life, somehow it felt soothing now. [That last girl, Akane, boy she's such a bitch!]

[I agree, if you had let me, she'd be a pile of miscellaneous parts decomposing on their lawn by now.] Images of her neatly chopped into five equal pieces shot through his mind.

[No. If she gets killed, it won't be because of us.] Naraku could sense Ranma turning his head towards the kendo club. [It'll probably be that Kuno guy's fault.] As he left the Tendo household with Kasumi and Nabiki's affections for him growing, Akane had run off to school. Sensing the aura of hatred exhibited by the lass, he spied the morning duel with Kuno and the subsequent defeat of the crazed Kendoist by the youngest Tendo. [That guy has some serious personality problems.]

[No more so than us? After all we have two voices in our head.]

[No this is different!]

[I know. I just wanted to see your reaction.] He glanced back at his prey, still talking to her classmates. [Tell me Ranma, what do you think of this one?]

[Her? She seems nice enough, a bit stubborn though. I'd say it isn't worth out time.] Ranma felt Naraku's anger boil as the words echoed in his head. [What is it?]

[Nothing, justlust.] Naraku perched on a lower branch hidden from view, the dense foliage of the tree blending with his darker garb. [Many years ago I lusted after her, but she is a reincarnation, nothing more.]

[Reincarnation? Is that real?] Ranma hadn't believed in it before, but it wasn't as farfetched as being assimilated by a powerful five-hundred year old demon.

[Yes. Your actions in one life do not effect your rebirth however, if you were originally a human you stay a human. For ones that have merged such as you and I and that cursed Inu-Yasha, the line is blurred. This girl Kagome is the reincarnation of a priestess I killed five-hundred years ago. She also holds the Shikon shards.] He awaited the inevitable question. 

[What are the Shikon shards?] Ranma's interest was piqued now, any kind of conversation was preferable to the boredom of the assimilation.

[Pieces of immortality. It was a gem sent down from the gods, that has special powers over demons. If a demon ingests it they become more powerful and immortal. If a human ingests it they are given the powers of a god and immortality. Inu-Yasha helped the girl break the Shikon jewel into small shards that can bestow immortality, but not great powers are it could whole. We are immortal because of its power.] Naraku smiled as his plans would finally be realized. [If we sire children they will be immortal by birth, as will their mothers due to their contact with our seed. The baby's blood flows through the mother so she would be given immortality as long as we share our power with them.] In the next year or so he would have two heirs in two strategically important areas. [And we will.]

---Musk Citadel, China.---

Eerie moans drifted from the sandy flats below the castle walls, wails of torment and suffering. Spice, princess of the Musk, clenched the cloak tighter around her as she stole away from the castle guards under the cover of the night. Demons had come, powerful creatures that snatched the very souls of her subjects, devouring them greedily and enslaving the poor person to its will. The dead now walked the foothills of the steppe, killing all who crossed the desert. It had all started after the massacre at Phoenix Mountain.

She had accompanied her brother to the battle site, his face resplendent in imminent victory. Herb had destroyed the Phoenix king, that they had seen as the ki-storm of his passing raced across the heavens, dying the sky red with blood. She and her guards had taken horses soon after to greet her brother and congratulate him atop the Sharptooth Cliffs, eager to claim victory over their long despised rivals. Instead they had ventured as far out as the outskirts when she saw one of Herb's ki blasts sail upwards, breaking the cloud banks, turning them gray with anger. A sharp sliding screech assaulted their ears and the very ground seemed to scream in agony. Forest animals ran away from the mount as she saw multitudes of demonic wasps stalking fleeing warriors, stinging them until their bodies bloated with venom.

"ONIGUMO HELLFIRE BLAST!!!!!!" The world exploded in white, the horses' eyes melting to jelly and dribbling down their necks with all the power and searing heat of a nuclear explosion. Musk royalty were descended from the great dragon Shen Long and were quite used to extreme temperatures, their semi-scaly hides absorbing the heat waves. A crack of sound. The heaven's ripped open with a cry thousands of times stronger than thunder. Darkness followed the cry, as if the world died a fraction after the attack.

The princess didn't notice that eyes began watching her from the forests, oddly human eyes. Those were soon joined by many, all yellow glares hungry with unrequited thirst for souls. Demons had awoken at their master's call, risen from their sleep of hundreds of years. In all shapes and sizes they perched or crouched in the dark forests, shadows of the hell-hound. The blast had sent shock waves of demonic power through the ground, reawakening servants of the most twisted sort. Just as Herb's broken body sailed through the mountains, they began the exodus to the Desert of Bleached White Bones where the remains of their master molded in the sands.

Now they were everywhere, killing entire villages close to the desert, wiping their victims of their souls and eating what remained of the bodies. Herb had survived, miraculously, but wouldn't be able to sit up in bed let alone lead the troops for another six months; the chancellor would rule in her stead until she returned with the culprit behind her brother's mutilation. It seemed that only someone in possession of that power, the power to use hellfire, would be able to stand against the forces amassing against all that lived. With one final glance back at her home of seventeen years, Spice mounted a horse and sped off towards civilization. Once again she hadn't noticed eyes watching her as she left the citadel walls, and once again it would cost her dearly.

A demonic wasp of monstrous proportions took flight from the grove of tree overlooking the Musk stables, book-thick segmented wings beating unceasingly to raise wind for flight. It's master, Naraku, had left it there as an eye in the valley. A harbinger to him of potential threats. It reached a low altitude, erratically buzzing over Jusenkyo.

It started as a dull glow in the nest of bushes, then escalated into a flaming red burst of fire which singed the wasp's wings, leading it to plummet to the pools of mystical water below. The culprit emerged from the nettles, a squat taloned demon with a salamander face; in his right hand he clutched a double headed staff, and old man's shrunken head on one side, a beautiful woman's on the other. "Naraku you devil! I won't allow you to ruin milord's plans this time!" With glee he scrambled up the side of a mountain and was away. This time it was what _it_ didn't notice that would come to haunt him.

The wasp's chitonous hide whistled as it fell to the springs below, the mournful cry as it hit drawing the Guide from his hut. What was that? Plum! Plum come out here! Bring a kettle! The rotund man wore a faded green Maoist uniform with the red-starred cap. His daughter came quickly from the hut with a yellow copper kettle filled with hot water. Something is going to be cursed very soon.

Hard exoskeleton touched the surface of the enchanted waters, the adverse magic between demonic power and Jusendo's charms causing the pool to explode in a blast of superheated steam. Joints twisted the opposite ways, soft flesh sucked to the outside air, hard skeleton burned into it's hide, the eyes twisting and shrinking to half size with enormous amounts of pain coursing through it's veins. Wings grafted to flesh, silken cilia extending to form tallow braids. The wasp's feet churned under the skin until nails and white flesh broke forth.

Stay away from the mist Plum, the customer may not like his curse. An inhuman howl of pain broke the misty silence of the valley of sorrow, causing bird to leap off from the trees and seek refuge in the avian sanctuary atop Mount Phoenix. The Guide waited until a reasonable amount of time had passed, then crept forward with the pot. Excuse me! Mr. Customer! Do you need help? He tried Japanese. "Mr. Customer! You need help now?" A shadow emerged from the mists.

It was shapely, long in leg and neck, her hair cascading down her back in sallow curls. She was naked, her legs unsteady on the moist earth. A faint buzzing noise came from her mouth. Her face was white save for three yellow dots about a centimeter in diameter on either side of her face. Her lips were ruby red as were her nipples. She opened her mouth but nothing save the unnatural buzzing noise came from her vocal chords.

"Ms. Customer alright? I no have herbs to cure wound now." The woman collapsed on Plum, the hot water spilling over her form. It was not the hot water, however, that caused her to wake but the pain of two extra arms bursting from her sides, two wings ripping from the flesh of her back, and her eyes stretching horizontally. She screamed, the air distorting around her mouth as waves were broadcast to all in the valley. The windows in the Guide's hut shattered, as did most glass in a ten-mile radius. Swarms of wasps took flight from the forests, oleaginous clouds of buzzing death.

Beating her wings, the demonic woman shot straight up in the air, easily passing mach one. As the sonic boom blew the Guide and Plum off their feet, their unexpected guest had already gone. Gone east to Japan.

--- Nieuchiezu Amazon Village, one hour later---

Amazons! Demons at Jusenkyo! The guide carried Plum into the village, searching for a healer. The villagers parted away from the man, called for the council of elders to question him, if demons had taken Jusenkyo then they would come there next. Some talked about renewing their former agreements with the Musk and Phoenix to combat this threat, others spoke of mysterious creatures lurking at the Musk border.

What is this you speak of Jusenkyo Guide? Cologne and Perfume hopped into the street, each on gnarled canes twice their own height. Demons have attacked Jusenkyo?

No, not attacked, a demon fell from the sky and landed in a spring! I thought it was a woman but Plum spilled hot water on her, the woman grew two extra arms and wings! He handed Plum to the healer and followed the elders who motioned him to tell his story to the council. After all the council had gathered, the guide was called to speak, he had nervously related the cataclysmic events leading up to the destruction of the Nyaniichuan.

The council was now faced with careful deliberations, preparations had to be made for an attack on the village, all amazons had to be called back from the foreign lands to help deal with this threat. Cologne sat silently as the group decided on sending a scout party to scope out the area, cursing her own cowardice and the younger generation's stupidity. As Perfume looked towards her peer, she saw a faint glimmer of hope in the face of this doom.

Cologne? Do you know of anything? You're hiding something.

She sighed as her ruse was discovered. Honored matriarch Perfume I know of a demon half-breed who employs demonic wasps similar to that which fell at Jusenkyo. He is called Naraku, a Japanese looking man with gray-blue eyes and black hair. My great-grandniece's daughter is his child. He looked at her relation with tears in her eyes. He used such wasps against the Musk at Phoenix Mountain. Mascara would most likely be cast out now or her child killed for lying with demons, she had never wished this upon her family. If he had just left, she would not have spoken about it, for he was strong, his progeny great.

Perfume murmured to the other elders, grimaces upon their ancient faces. At last they turned to Mascara, Is this true? Was he a demon lord?

The custodian clutched her distended stomach, already swelling against her tunic, and nodded, hot tears falling to the sandy floor of the meeting hall. She had never wished to betray her kind, nor the man she loved. Y-yes. He was. The hall erupted into screams of treason and death, of exile and curses. In the end, Cologne stood up for her family.

She has done nothing wrong! She did not know he was a demon lord when she became with child, she only knew when I confronted him! You cannot blame her for something she didn't know about! Her voice of reason quieted the crowd. I say that we dispatch a group to Japan to follow the demon, find out what he is doing. Several of her supporters murmured in agreement, yelling that not all demons were evil, those nice raccoon-foxes had helped them last year with the harvest.

Very well, honored elder Cologne, you, Mascara and Shampoo may travel to Japan to confront the demon lord. If you do not return in two months we will send parties out to avenge your deaths. Perfume grinned hideously as the elder behind her chuckled at her half-jest. Now go!

---Japan, Tendo Dojo---

Akane stormed into the kitchen from the foyer, her face reddened with anger. [How dare thatthat _boy_ insult my skills! I'll teach him who the top martial artist in Nerima is! I'll have Nabiki take photos so he can't deny it] she chuckled at her malicious thoughts. The narrow hallway opened into the kitchen, sacred holy ground of Kasumi in their house. Akane stopped. Blinked. Then blinked again.

Kasumi was lying on the kitchen table spread-eagle with her legs wrapped around Naraku whose gaunt frame loomed over her smaller mass. Their visitor was taken aback as they kissed and rubbed their bodies together, taking immense pleasure in hearing her gasps and moans. She ground her pelvis into his, her lacy white apron bunched at her hips, her tongue brushing the sharpened points of his teeth. Her eyes bugging, Akane back-peddled into the tearoom, visibly shaken.

[Hmmjust as I thought. Usually priestesses suppress their hormonal urges and are nymphomaniacs after they're first broken in.] Naraku intentionally grazed Kasumi's lip, drawing blood, letting it pool around her suddenly moist lips before licking it off to her orgasmic moans. [I haven't even undressed her yet! I'll save that for later, now I sense my spy returning from China.] He rose straight, allowing Kasumi to writhe in imagined pleasure on the smooth surface of the kitchen table. He spotted Akane frozen in abject terror that anyone could reduce her normally unflappable sister to mush. He simply walked past her.

On the veranda he stood dressed in his demonic monkey skins, toying with a shard of the Shikon he'd found in a minor demon of the sea outside Edo. Brilliant, glittering perfection the crystal was, unflawed yet surpassing far larger gems of its kind. Perhaps it was the energy inside, perhaps it was the way light glanced against its surface, never breaking the soft skinned basalt of its carapace. He looked to the skies, watching in amusement as his wasp returned as a woman with wings and six-arms.

The trek had been hard, the demon king and queen had placed wind sprites across her path, hampering immediate transferal of her master's information. The news she brought was both enlightening and frightening, a demon long thought dead had risen in the Desert of Bleached White Bones, ruins of a once great city decimated after a titanic demon battle three hundred years ago. The king known only as the battle scarred king' had set about opening the gates of the demon world. With him had been a soul-sucking priestess of death, seeker of the Shikon shards. She sensed her master's power nearby.

Akane had broken out of her trance when Naraku carried Kasumi back to her room, it wouldn't do to allow his consorts to be privy to such distressing news as his servant was about to give. The wasp woman had been doused with warm water shortly after landing, crying out in pain as the transformation completed itself. Wings slid underneath the soft flesh of her back, razor sharp membranes slicing through tough muscle, arms shoved aside internal organs to reel themselves in, disappearing afterwards leaving only the pain. A faint buzzing was the only vocal sound that erupted from her mouth.

"You had a run-in with the pools of sorrow I see. Your demonic energies twisted the magic of the spring, your now human or what passes for one nowadays." Naraku had returned to his servant in the dojo after placing Kasumi in her bed. He withdrew a Shikon shard from his robes, smaller than the size of a grain of rice. "Swallow this."

[What did you do to her? Why'd ya give her a piece of the Shikon shard?] Ranma's curiosity had been piqued. [I thought you'd just get rid of her.]

[She's far too useful to me. She is my most trusted servant, that is why I left her in China. If the jewel is assimilated into her vocal chords she will be able to speak, not buzz.]

[I guess you've got everything all planned then.]

Naraku frowned, his eyes still watching his newest bipedal assassin swallow the shard, watching the steady flow of mystical energies in her larynx. [No, Ranma I haven't. Inu-Yasha and Kagome are beyond my sphere of influence, I won't be able to control or gauge their actions.] "Tell me what news you have brought that is so urgent."

"My lord. The princess of the Musk seeks you to defend her kingdom against the forces of the demon king and queen. You have severely injured her brother and without his power the Musk fall." She knelt before him, her flossy hair the color of beeswax falling around her. "The demon king and queen have appeared west of the Musk citadel out of the Desert of Bleached White Bones. Their power is even stronger than you oh lord." She was jolted out of her report as a black yakuta was thrown at her. "My lord what are these vestments?"

"Your new clothes. You can never again regain your old form, so go into the house and wash the blood and slime from yourself." He turned back into the house, his tightlipped smirk visible from underneath the monkey skull. "You will become my bodyguard for the time being, you'll find undergarments in the spare room. We will be staying here for awhile, at least until the Musk princess arrives. After that, we will journey back to China." He threw off his skins and leapt to the roof clad in priestly robes, his long raven hair tied in a flowing pigtail reaching to the floor trailing behind him.

[What was that all about hmm?] Ranma was three-quarters through the assimilation, soon both would be joined. He watched as the streets and buildings whizzed by in a blur, his vantage point from the rooftop giving him a breathtaking view of Nerima. [What're ya gonna do about that king and queen in China? Kima and Mascara are there...]

[I'm thinking, Ranma, that it is time we involved Inu-Yasha in this personally.] 

---Mount Phoenix, China---

Rocking blasts shattered the peaks of the Mount, their debris showering down upon the seneschal and her escorts. Saffron arose from his egg, a teenager, and took to the sky; moist wings, still encrusted with embryonic slime, drying in the updrafts. Choiler ran to his balcony, Ghode at his side, only to gaze out at a distant shimmering over Musk land. The sky was cracking.

It seemed that the very heavens screamed at this travesty of nature, a mournful cry that echoed on in the hearts and memories of those that heard it, it would not soon be forgotten. Shards of azure rained down upon the forests, the sky splitting into a whirling dervish of baleful ebony. The world was stepping closer to total destruction, it would soon be time for the daemonic rift to tear the ground asunder and unleash hordes of terrible unnamable creatures to enslave humanity. It would all be accomplished by the great daemon king and queen that resided deep within the hallowed Desert of Bleached White Bones, a morbid palace of decadent evil which lay smoldering beneath the sifting sands.

---Japan, Nerima ward, Mano household---

Madoka Mano screamed when awakened from a nightmare, sweat beading her brow. Yohko and Azusa slept soundly in the next room, their mother with her new beau on the other end of the hallway. None had awoken which meant none were attuned to the waves of natural energy Madoka was. Rising swiftly, she made her way down the stairs to the computer, punching up her password. As the room began to descend, her vision was blinded by the light streaming from the shrine of the Mamano Hunters. Evil had once again opened the rift between the daemon world and their own. The very shuddering of the Earth heralded their arrival on this plane. Yohko had to be trained and ready, the 108th Devil Slayer would soon be facing the direst of odds, facing the breach in time and space, facing the torturous daemon king.

---Japan, Nerima ward, rooftops---

The shrine appeared in the distance, Torii set across the cobble-stone steps. There was not a sign of life across the courtyard, not so much as a speck of soil rolling across by the wind. Miroku awaited in the temple office, meditating as the sickening stench of demonic blood wafted in through the open door. Naraku crouched in the trees as the dissipated monk threw the door open and leapt outside, staff angled before him, juzo beads keeping the abyss closed.

"Come out demon! I can sense you from here!" He leveled the staff, straight as an arrow, at the demon's position in the bushes. Unclasped, his hand shot an arc of purple energy like a blazing sword through the trees, watching eagle-eyed as his quarry landed on the cobblestones. "My hand contains the abyss itself, be careful lest you taste its power."

"Feh! Be careful monk lest you forget it is I whom cursed your line with that power." Naraku stood proud in heavy flowing robes, his eyes gleaming green in the sun. "You look much better than you did in the end. You were so far gone, being blind, paralyzed, dumb and deaf; that I had to put you out of your misery." He smirked showing pointed canines.

"Naraku. How did you get here?"

"No, no. It is I who should ask you that. I have survived in China for the past five-hundred years after the fall of the Demon Kingdom. I killed you all those years ago, how are you here?"

"Why should I tell you anything demon?" Miroku vaulted to the temple roof as Inu-Yasha and Kagome made their move.

"CLAWS OF BLOOD!!!" Inu-Yasha threw his ki blasts at the figure standing Miroku down in the courtyard. He watched, transfixed, as Naraku caught his projectiles, crushing them in his vise-like grip. "Naraku you bastard! Give me back the Tetsusaiga!" Kagome hid behind the dog-demon, clutching at his sleeve. The monk came to rest behind them.

"Ah, the half-breed. I have your Tetsusaiga, and I'll return it if you listen to what I have to say." He stared hard in Kagome's eyes, his creamy-blue burning into her gold. "I have it right here," he patted his side where a gleaming scabbard glistened in the sunlight, "and you'll have it returned once I'm finished."

Inu-Yasha snorted. "And what stops me from just taking it from you?"

"Two reasons, you cannot, and I have news that could spell destruction for us all." He sauntered over to the trio, his voice dripping sarcasm. "If _I_ say it's deadly you should take heed half-breed." Suddenly the foliage of a cherry blossom tree exploded and his newfound retainer landed slightly behind him. "Good work Karissa." He smiled at her sneaking prowess.

Kagome glanced at him then back to Inu-Yasha, reading the indecision in his eyes. "I say we let him speak. He didn't kill you before when he stole the Tetsusaiga, besides this sounds more important." She saw his puzzled look. "*Whisper* I don't trust him either, but he makes it sound like life or death. *whisper*"

"Beyond life and death Lady Kagome, this would affect both in ways that would be disastrous for humanity. Neither states would exist any longer if the demon king follows through with his plans." She was startled as he overheard her entire conversation. Without a noise, he entered her house, startling her mother and grandfather. "Come Karissa."

"Yes my lord." The oddly marked woman walked clumsily to the door. Reluctantly, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Miroku followed. Needless to say Shippo was surprised speechless. "What shall I do about the spy?"

"Spy? What spy?" Kagome looked around the courtyard, seeing nothing resembling a demon lurking there. "I don't see any spy."

"That is exactly why he is a spy priestess. If you could see him than his master would be a fool, which I know he is not." Naraku shrugged off his outer cloak, handing it to Karissa. "Kill him."

"Yes, master of the shadows I heed your command." The wasp-woman flattened out his cloak, smoothing the wrinkles out of the stiff fabric. The garment had been made long ago from the tempered fibers of a graklin demon, a metalloid creature who can create ultra-sharp knives from its tree-like branches. As such, Karissa picked it up and threw it across the courtyard, the fabric retaining it's flattened shape while honed to a razor edge. The knife slid through the middle of the courtyard, slicing more than air. After a few moments of silence a thin line of greenish-black blood fell to the cobblestones, as the murdered demon phased into being and fell in two neatly sliced pieces.

"Now I hope you see the necessity of this union between us?" Naraku/Ranma gestured to the bleeding pile of daemonic slime dissolving in the breeze. "Inu-Yasha even you could not have smelled his presence. This is the power of the daemon king." He retrieved his cloak, wrapping it around his frame.

Karissa and Naraku sat across from the rest, Kagome's grandfather pouring tea for the assembled group. Naraku felt the last vestiges of Ranma soaked up by his own mind, a wave of calm and experiences washing over him, pain, sorrow, joy, pleasure. He fell back, sprawled on the floor, convulsing violently for a short time before the merging completed. Karissa knelt by his side, holding her master's frame as he shook and trembled under the memories of an alien life, clutching his head in her arms. Kagome and Inu-Yasha were immediately on their feet, albeit for different reasons. Inu-Yasha believed it a cruel hoax, a bit of acting to divert their attention, Kagome stood up in mercy for the bizarre creature that had once tried to kill them, now help them.

"I'mfine now. Thank you Karissa." They returned to their seats, Karissa glancing worriedly back at her master every now and then. "I'd like to know how you three are here."

"Hey, that's our question to you! Now stop beating around the bush and tell us what you know!" Inu-Yasha leapt up from the couch, full of unreleased energy. Suddenly the Tetsusaiga hit him square between the eyes. He crumpled to the floor, knocked unconscious.

"Quiet half-breed. I trust that having the steel-cleaving fang back in your possession will curb your tongue." Naraku sat back, throwing the Tetsusaiga back atop Inu-Yasha's twitching frame. "You were all killed in the battle at the Desert of Bleached White Bones, oh, three hundred years ago. I don't know how you are here again, looking so young, but no matter. All you need to know is that our opponents from that battle, the daemon king and queen, have resurrected and will crack open the gates of the daemon world. We stopped them last time, we can do it again." The battle had been fierce, Shippo and Kaede, Miroku and Miyoga, all had fallen before the demon hoards. Only Inu-Yasha, Kagome and himself stood before the king's plans of universal destruction. Of course that didn't mean he let them live after the battle

"What of this Demon King, where did he appear from?" Miroku played idly with the bronze rings at the end of his staff, his eyes were growing more sunken with each passing month. "What powers does he have?"

"The Demon King is a powerful being who was a lackey of mine at one time, he found a portal into the pure daemon world, the world of darkness and shadow. He gained powers that enabled him to create and command ridiculously large numbers of daemons at once, his legions were commanded by a single group mind." He paused to whisper conspiratorially to Karissa who lay draped over his lap, she just as soon sat up with a start and walked outside.

"What was that all about?" Kagome asked aloud, a tad put off by the seemingly secretive exchange between the two. "What are you two planning?" She began to nudge Inu-Yasha awake under the table, each new kick sending greater and greater pain through his head.

"Nothing that need concern you, wench, it involves some _personal_ business that awaits my presence at my lodgings. Karissa will assuage the parties until I can arrive." All at once he seemed so unimaginably powerful, a nuclear explosion contained within the fragile shell of a petri dish, ready to burst forth and envelope the very life from their souls; but behind it seemed something far more sinister. It seemed human, lustful of power, insatiate, it lay in hiding behind the mask of the daemon, biding time until it could strike. All at once it was gone, leaving Kagome's flesh pale and cold.

Karissa took to the skies at that moment, splashing her body with the cold water from a nearby flower vase. Kagome and Miroku gasped as the wasp-woman took flight, neither having lived through the tragic events of the Daemonic Wars yet. Of course neither knew that in the past, or their future which ever way you wished to view it, that they would be battling in the infamous war Naraku spoke of. In time they would discover that the battle they would soon fight held more far-reaching implications for the cosmos then they previously believed. That day would become a day long remembered, for it would see the birth of a pantheon of heroes and the downfall of a greater evil.

"Now I fear he has reawakened, and driven by the power of vengeance he will do anything in his power to posses the Shikon jewel. That is the final ingredient to his master plan to dissolve the cosmic barriers separating the daemon world from our own. He has started the process now, he will come to Japan in order to take Shikon jewel, the last piece that will break the barriers of time and space, destroying the reality we now share."

"How do you know this evil being has started? How do you even know he's alive?" Miroku stood facing Naraku who sat before the rice-paper doors leading to the courtyard, which were shut at the time. Kagome propped Inu-Yasha up on the couch, the dog-daemon slowly coming back to life. "How do we know you aren't in a league with the Daemon king?"

Naraku smirked underneath the thick onyx bangs of hair, his answer was simple and to the point, he slid open one of the doors behind him. As the cobblestone of the courtyard disappeared towards the horizon it was merged with a nightmarish aberration of red and black swirling in the sky, spreading a pale sickly coloration over the land. Pieces of indigo sky showered over China, razor-sharp shards that decimated Beijing in cutting down the trappings of the modern world like the Reaper's scythe. Dimly visible in Japan, the effect of seeing the sky cracking and showering down upon the Earth was unsettling enough for the trio of reluctant heroes. Even more so was the look of sick amusement on Naraku's face. "Do you think me in the league of daemons now?"

The humans in the room sat down heavily on the couch, in the kitchen Kagome could hear her mother screaming in terror, horrified beyond belief that even a daemon could cause such an aberrant thing.

"This is but the start, if this cycle continues the entire human race will be enslaved by daemonic hordes that even you could not defeat, I think, Inu-Yasha. Time will end and all realities will merge into one salient universe where everything will happen at every time, daemons will either kill you or subject you to moretortures." Naraku grinned hideously as the females cringed at the icy waves of evil he was radiating. "Either way, we have to join together if we are to have any hope of defeating this threat. Believe me, I'd much rather choose less annoying company myself, but the situation warrants your powers." He stood up now, starched cloth crinkling as his gaunt body bent with his weight.

"Where do you think you're going?" Miroku leapt from the couch and landed before the daemon with his staff bent to ward off his spells. "We still do not know if we can trust you, and now you run from us?"

He grinned, pointed incisors gleaming in the sunlight. "Run? What makes you think I'm running? I merely have more urgent business to attend to. I will brook no more of this interrogation, you may come to me when you so desire." Naraku raised a hand and was gone, a faint shimmering of his mass and the shade was soaked into the floorboards and shadows of the hallway. No trace of the evil lingered but the stench of centuried corpses and the foetid aroma of burning flesh.

---To be continued---


End file.
